as in rinses
to pour liquid over or through in order to cleanse
if you get the chemical in your eye, irrigate the eye thoroughly with water
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Recent Examples of irrigates
Today, water from the massive lake, fed by the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, irrigates farms across the Central Valley and provides drinking water for Silicon Valley, including San Jose.
—
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
If there’s a long delay before the next rain, run your irrigation once every two weeks or once a month, depending on the types of plants each zone irrigates.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
Water from the Central Valley Project irrigates roughly one-third of California agriculture, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
The river also irrigates more than 850,000 acres of farmland — the highest concentration of irrigated acres of any river basin in Colorado.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
The canal irrigates more than 108 square miles, the district said.
—Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2025
Whatever irrigates the imagination and allows the soul to exhale.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
If there’s a long delay before the next rain, run your irrigation once every two weeks or once a month, depending on the types of plants each zone irrigates.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
Water from the Central Valley Project irrigates roughly one-third of California agriculture, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
The river also irrigates more than 850,000 acres of farmland — the highest concentration of irrigated acres of any river basin in Colorado.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
The canal irrigates more than 108 square miles, the district said.
—Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2025
Whatever irrigates the imagination and allows the soul to exhale.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrigates
Verb
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The pH-balanced formula effectively lifts away makeup, bacteria, and daily buildup, then rinses off easily without leaving residue behind.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
As McCreary pulls the drapes away from a client's neck one by one, the client can see how each color highlights their skin, hair and eyes, or washes them out.—
Bailey Reed,
Louisville Courier Journal,
1 Apr. 2026
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Rain washes hazardous chemicals out of the atmosphere in a relatively short period of time, experts said, but people exposed to black rain should take precautions to avoid health risks, both short-term and long-term.—
Tammy Webber,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The narrator of Repetition tears up her diary and flushes the pages down the toilet.—
Honor Jones,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
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There are two options, with Daily mode which requires just wiping the cooking chamber with a semi-wet cloth, or Monthly mode which is a self cleaning function that flushes out the internal oil and water hoses.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
By the time the white light that floods Bogotá on cloudy days grows bright enough to be blinding, the june bug has dug herself a refuge in the dirt.—
María Ospina,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Every couple of years, during a hard rain, the creek floods her driveway.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irrigates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrigates. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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